Fair Share
by bradp521
Summary: Little Bruce Wayne and little Clark Kent go trick-or-treating together.


"I just wish I could've gone to Gotham with you two," Jonathan Kent said.

"Oh, pish posh," Martha replied, "You know you can't leave this time of year when you've got your hands full with the harvest. We talked about this when Clark won the trip in that essay contest."

"I know," Jonathan said. "But who knew that they'd have a freak snowstorm in Minneapolis and close the airport for where your flight was supposed to connect? Now you're stuck there. Do I need to wire you some extra cash?"

"No," said Martha, "We found a motel that wasn't too bad, so we'll be fine."

"Lana Lang stopped by earlier to show Clark her princess costume," Jonathan said. "She was real disappointed that Clark going to miss trick-or-treat."

"Actually, he's not going to miss it," Martha said. "This afternoon, he did trip and skin his knee pretty good, but there was a clinic, and Dr. Tompkins patched him up just fine. She's a fine woman. I told her that she should come to visit if she ever passed through Kansas on vacation. Anyway, I told her about us not being able to get home until tomorrow, and she said she takes a group of children around every year for trick-or-treat and that Clark was more than welcome to join them."

**********

Martha Wayne knelt in front of her son, making final adjustments on his knight costume.

"There!" she proclaimed with satisfaction. Then, holding up a mirror, she asked, "Well, Bruce, what do you think?"

"It's okay," he said. "But why can't we just stay home and make s'mores and eat Alfred's caramel apples?"

"We've been over this before," she said patiently. "It's important for you to do things with other children, especially things like trick-or-treat. Besides, you say that every year, and then you come home with enough candy to last you for three months."

Bruce grinned sheepishly and said, "Well, okay. When do we leave for Dr. Tompkins'?"

**********

Leslie Tompkins reached up on a shelf and pulled down a set of surgical scrubs which had been altered to fit a child.

"How's this, Clark?" she asked.

"That'd be fine, Dr. Tompkins," he replied politely.

Martha added, "We can't thank you enough. Here we came in just to get Bruce's skinned knee patched up, and now you've invited him to go trick-or-treating and even found a costume for him."

"It's nothing," Leslie said. "I do this every year for the children of the neighborhood, plus a family or two that are friends of mine. And there's always at least one child who wasn't able to get a costume, so I try to be prepared."

Turning back to Clark, she said, "My friends have a son about your age. His name is Bruce. I bet you'll have a good time together."

**********

Alfred Pennyworth pulled up in front of Leslie's townhouse and together with "Young Master Bruce", he walked to the door, which opened before he could knock.

"Alfred," Leslie exclaimed happily. "How good to see you again!" Looking down at Bruce, she said, "And who is this? Is it Sir Lancelot or Sir Galahad?"

"It's me, Bruce," said a voice from inside the cloth "helmet".

"Why, so it is," she replied. "Come on in, you two. I was just about to hand out the bags."

As they entered the house, Leslie said quietly to Alfred, "Could you do me a small favor?"

"Certainly," replied the Englishman without a moment's hesitation. "How can I be of assistance?"

"There's one extra boy tonight," she said. "He and his mother were here from a small town in Kansas. They were supposed to fly home this morning, but they were going to make flight connections in Minneapolis. When the airport there was snowed in, their flight out of Gotham was cancelled. His mother is in the next room. Would you be willing to play host while I take the children out."

"It's the least I can do," Alfred answered, and after a final word to Bruce, reminding him of what his mother said about being polite and saying thank you and not being greedy, he stepped into the next room and introduced himself to Martha Kent.

**********

The collection of princesses, lions, football players, and nurses (not to mention a certain knight and a certain surgeon) made it halfway through the circuit of homes, and as they proceeded to the next house, Bruce and Clark found themselves in step with one another and comparing each others bags.

"Gee," said Clark, "You got way more than me. How'd you do it?"

Bruce grinned and said, "I just hold my bag open longer instead of pulling it back after they put candy in it. Lots of times, they wind up forgetting who they gave candy to and who they didn't, so they wind up giving me two treats instead of one."

Not smiling, Clark said, "Sounds like cheating to me."

"Is not," answered Bruce.

"Is too," insisted Clark.

"Boys," called Leslie from the front of the pack, "We're here to have fun, not to be jealous about how much candy somebody else got."

"Yes, ma'am," they both muttered, almost in unison. They walked to the next house, and Clark watched what Bruce did. Sure enough, he kept his bag open and got a second helping of treats.

Grumbling to himself, Clark muttered, "You took more than your fair share."

Bruce whispered back, "Did not."

"Did too."

**********

Alfred offered to drop Martha and Clark off at their motel, and he left his number, insisting that she call him when they were ready to go to the airport.

"Oh I couldn't impose on you like that," she protested. "Giving us a ride here tonight was more than enough."

"Nonsense," he replied. "Gotham cab fares are notoriously high, and almost any driver would take advantage of you as one unfamiliar with the city." Smiling, he added, "If I ever find myself in Smallville, you may repay the kindness with one of the apple pies that Master Clark was praising so effusively."

Martha smiled, and said, "Fair enough, Alfred, and thank you so much."

He returned her smile, and with a tip of his cap, he and Bruce were gone.

**********

Martha Wayne and Martha Kent were having a pleasant conversation in the coffee shop of the Gotham International Airport, each of them glancing over from time to time to see Bruce and Clark drawing pictures at a nearby table. Alfred approached their table and said, "Mrs. Kent, here are the claim tickets for your baggage. They've been checked through to Topeka."

"Thank you again, Alfred," she replied, and turning to Martha Wayne said, "You and Alfred have been so kind to us. We can't thank you enough."

Martha Wayne was about to answer when the speaker crackled, "Flight 027 to Minneapolis with connecting flights to Denver and Topeka, now boarding at Gate 39."

They quickly rose to their feet, and with the two young boys close behind, left the coffee shop and headed to the departure lounge where people were already queuing up for their delayed flight west.

As the Kents got in line, Clark said goodbye to Bruce and added, "I still think you got more than your fair share of the candy."

Clark and his mother disappeared into the passageway leading to the plane as Bruce called back, "Did not!"

In response, a small voice echoed back through the doorway: "Did, toooooo!"

**********

Several years later……

The Daily Planet newsroom had been turned into a sort of reception hall, with a large banner reading, "Congratulations Lois Lane On Your Zenith Award!" All the newspaper staff was there, sipping champagne and nibbling on cake and nuts, Brie and caviar. Even the paper's owner, Bruce Wayne, had flown in from Gotham City for the occasion.

"Perry, do you think he knows that this wasn't a Pulitzer?" Lois Lane asked her editor-in-chief.

Perry White grinned and said, "Who knows? Maybe this is the only kind of celebrations they have at Wayne Manor. All I know is that when the boss says to call the caterers, I do what the boss says."

On the other side of the room, fellow Zenith nominee Clark Kent was holding a small plate of cake and nuts. Spotting the Planet's owner, he casually walked over to him and said, "Well, Bruce, looks like you got a healthy serving of the caviar."

Turning from his debutante d'jour, Bruce Wayne greeted Clark and said, "Well, it IS very good caviar."

A puckish grin breaking through his attempt to keep a straight face, Clark said softly, "It looks to me like you got more than your fair share of the caviar."

The corner of Bruce's mouth twitched slightly as he replied, "Did not," and excused himself as he went to rescue his date from the unwelcome attention of Steve Lombard..

A couple of moments later, Bruce's JLA communicator vibrated in silent alert mode. Slipping into a deserted office, he flipped open the communicator to find only a brief text message:

"From S to B: Did too."


End file.
